"Are you doing alright, lad?" a gruff voice called out to him. Kale jumped turning on the intruders with his sword raised. Though he wasn't sure when he had gotten the blade in his hands. He was relieved to find the cool leather hilt helped clear some of the growing madness. Kale slowly lowered the blade as he looked over the group short men. Dwarves from Salvino.
"Something is off with him." The tallest of the four men grunted at the leader. Emerald. That was his name. Kale sighed, his mind slowly pushing back the fogginess. He was talking with the dwarven mercenary group, the Boars. Each member was named after a gem, Kale recalled, relaxing as his memory slowly came back.
"Boars. Didn't think you would follow me here." Kale stumbled at King Gregory's spies. There were four men in all for their little group, plus a mole hound common in the mines of Salvino, though Gregory had been hiring them more often for his own use. Most likely to keep tabs on Adam.
"Honestly, we weren't. We came to investigate Golder. Word got around of another attack by the Hounds. Gregory was facing backlash if he didn't at least investigate this time. What's with the statue?" Pearl, the leader, asked coming over by the fire and preparing some food. The other Boars went to work, gathering supplies for the night. Kale stood between them and the statue watching them work as his back leaned against the wagon.
"Lad?" Pearl coaxed trying to get his attention. Kale had been muttering to himself, patting the stone foot as he did so. He seemed to be slipping between states of madness which was unusual for him. Kale glanced up frowning at their worried faces before a low growl pulled their attention to the ugly red mole hound.
"Ruby, come." The smallest Boar, Diamond, commanded as the mutt shifted slowly, still on the defense against the stone man. Something in the air turned, causing Ruby to bark loudly as Kale hissed back.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" Emerald huffed at the smallest as Diamond tried to get his companion under control. She was agitated and Diamond worried she was even a bit scared. Very unusual for her. That statue wasn't natural. Though something about the way Kale responded to them was even more unsettling.
Kale was no stranger to them, in fact, Kale and the Boar's were mostly on good terms. Or at least Pearl thought they were. Kale felt the sudden pull as the heavy weight just vanished, leaving him stumbling.
"I don't know what happened, but it's over now." Diamond muttered as he rubbed Ruby's head as the hound whined softly. She curled up around his feet as the other Boar's helped Kale sit next to the fire.
"Kale, lad? Are you alright? What happened?" Pearl asked nervously as his brothers offered Kale a drink and covered the statue with the heavy cloth. Nobody wanted to keep staring at the naked man above their short heads anyways. Kale drank the water deeply, letting the cool water run over his face and neck as it spilled out the sides of the cup.
"I-I don't know." Kale stuttered. He shivered, rubbing his arms quickly to rid himself of the chill. "I heard a voice and then I couldn't remember things. Like I was in a fog, but I was scared and so very angry. I didn't even recognize you at first." Kale told them as the Boars quietly listened.
"Are you all right now?" Emerald asked softly, adding more wood to the fire. Kale took a deep breath, holding it in as he considered it. Finally, he exhaled as he nodded sure of himself.
"Yes, the feeling and voice are gone. Maybe I was just going crazy alone in this graveyard." Kale sighed glancing out of the shelter. Though full dark had settled, causing limited visibility outside of the fire light.
"Voices?" Emerald asked as Opal shrugged. They weren't hearing any voices and hopped it stayed that way.
"It doesn't matter. I doubt Soren could speak to me. It was probably all in my head." He muttered to himself before turning on his company, "How goes your mission?" Kale asked to make conversation as the Boars gave a collective sigh.
"Spying on Adam a better task than the Hounds?" Kale teased lightly to change the subject as Pearl handed him some bread. The leader huffed, passing out rations to the rest of his men.
"We started spying on Adam because there were legitimate concerns with his motives as you know." Pearl started. Kale nodded in agreement as he continued to eat. Everything went downhill after Elise's death. Adam had loved her, becoming obsessed with power after her untimely end. Kale knew Adam would never love another like he loved her. He just wished Adam wouldn't drag Ivy down with him.
Adam hadn't always wanted the throne. He had been driven by anger to seize power. Kale could still remember a time when Adam laughed carefree and happy. Elise had made him happy. She was the daughter of a miner, training to work in the mines beside her father harvesting gems.
Adam had been running around careless after training when he ran into her, causing her to dump her hard-earned payload. She hadn't cared he was the prince as she chewed him out for idiocy.
Elise had left an impression on Adam as Kale listened to him complain about some worthless commoner. Kale simply watched as Adam chased after her. Their bickering turned to talking and that talking had led to flirting. After a collapse in the mines, Adam had begged Elise not to continue working there.
She had said she wouldn't quit after a minor fright. It wouldn't be fair to the other minors who also risked their lives every day. She wasn't any better than the rest of them.
Elise had started Adam on a crusade to get his people better working conditions. To help his kingdom. Gregory had merely laughed in his face wondering how a boy proposed to help them with his fantasies.
Something Kale had taken as a personal insult since he had helped craft Adam's proposal in creating better working conditions within the mountain. After all, it was in their dwarven nature to keep digging for treasure. Shortly after that, Adam lost his own gem.
Kale sighed, letting thoughts of the past fade. Perhaps he did blame Gregory for Adam's current path. Adam hadn't had enough power to save Elise then, so instead he would take all the power he could. Using Soren to do so.
"Are the voices back?" Pearl asked, making Kale pull his eyes away from the wagon.
"Only the voices of the past. I often wonder if Gregory weren't such a pompous ass, if I would be sitting here today." Kale confided putting his cup down.
"Well, it may be true Gregory isn't the finest king for us dwarves, you are only here because of Adam." Pearl grunted tapping the letter on his knee. Kale frowned at the opened letter holding out his hand. Pearl gave it up without much fight as Kale growled at the broken seal.
"You shouldn't read other people's messages. I hadn't even opened it yet." Kale huffed, taking his time to unfold it.
"It was open when we found it." Pearl explained sitting back and letting Kale read it. He watched as Kale's lips thinned. Kale was one of the pretty sorts. Tall and lean like a dancer, with basic skills in swords play. Though most who knew Kale, knew he preferred reading over fighting.
To him, knowledge was the true source of power. He simply learned the sword skill because Adam required it of him. His skin was a warm rich bronze color most dwarves shared, and though he was taller than the Boars, Pearl knew he wasn't going to be as tall as most men outside Salvino since he was only about five and half feet tall.
He kept his silky black hair tucked behind his ears, so it didn't get stuck in the stubble on his chin. Pearl knew Kale mostly shaved for Adam's sake since the prince couldn't grow a beard of his own thanks to his elven ancestors. His golden yellow eyes scanned the letter causing his brow to furrow.
"I see. This does cause problems." Kale muttered as he chewed on his thumb with worry. Adam was out of line with the plan though he was even more surprised Ivy was just going with it. She deserved better then to be some pawn in Adam's games, though he would never go against Adam to convince her.
"So then, are you really trying to bring back the demon?" Pearl asked as Kale leaned forward on his elbows glancing at the covered statue. The Boars followed his gaze frowning in unison. "Please tell me that isn't what we think it is?" Pearl pleaded with him.
Every dwarf knew of the legends of the old war. The demon sealed in stone and lost to the belly of the mountain. A dark tale often used to scare young children out of the unsafe mines. Kale growled getting to his feet. He pulled on the cloth only enough to reveal one of Soren's legs.
"I found him. But I haven't quite figured how to wake him just yet. According to Salvino, the demon would be released by Salvino's blood. I am moving it out of Salvino in order to keep it from Adam and Gregory." Kale explained, dropping the cloth. A dark laughter on the air made him hesitate.
The Boars were waving their hands at each other using sign language to discuss their concerns. Kale stretched to shake off Soren's presence as he rejoined the Boars.
"Adam killed the queen. Are you still willing to follow him?" Pearl asked. Kale huffed picking up the letter Adam had sent him.
"I have to. I am the only one he completely trusts. I will follow him until the end." Kale said confidently.
"The Adam you used to know isn't there anymore. He is killing innocents and ordering the deaths of others. You know the bloodshed won't stop there. You are faithfully serving a monster." Diamond growled. His brothers agreed, watching as Pearl pulled his pipe out to smoke. They were worried they would have to stop Kale by force.
"I am aware. However, I cannot stop him by betraying him myself. That's where you guys come in." Kale muttered, tapping his fingers on his chin. Adam trusted him too much to look in his direction.
Kale would have to use others to distract him before stabbing him in the back. Not that Kale wanted to. He still believed he could convince Adam of his foolishness. Either way, the demon couldn't fall into anyone's hands.
"Oh? And how does the great assistant to our twisted prince think we can stop him?" Emerald chuckled sarcastically. His brothers shot him a look as Emerald huffed shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't the only one who didn't plan on being used by the enemy.
"By doing what you always do. Spying on him and reporting to our enemy's. I don't know exactly all his plans. Just my part. Get the statue out of Salvino and headed over to Welpion. From there I will ride along the mountain path before I reach the ash plains. I hope to make camp within the old castle before the last of spring is gone.
"If I knew his next steps, I could stay ahead of him. Keep the statue from him until the other kingdoms are prepared and ready. Afterall, if Adam somehow does manage to wake him, we will need to be ready to carry on the fight our ancestors started." Kale told the dying flames. Pearl considered it as he poked at the logs with another stick.
"So, if we understand correctly, you want to be the man on the inside feeding us information?" Emerald wondered. Though they were all a little skeptical. Kale shrugged weakly. It wasn't a great plan, but it was what he had.
"Alright lad. Exactly how do you suggest we do our job?" Pearl asked, lighting his pipe.
"Can you get to Trayson by morning?" Kale wondered as the boars looked at each other.
"If we leave now and ride hard. From here it might be doable, but we miss out on reporting back to Gregory." Diamond muttered as he rubbed Ruby's head. She would be tired, but she could do it.
"Right. The king. Do we really care since he clearly doesn't give a damn about our report?" Emerald whined. Opal signed at him quietly making Emerald scoff. Kale considered it glancing around the stables. There wasn't much to report. His eyes landed on the quiet hawk, giving him an idea.
"We can send your report by hawk. I can get you close to Adam by having you deliver my message for me instead of returning the hawk." Kale suggested watching the men consider it. They were older than him, but by less than a decade. Kale would guess they were in their thirties.
"It's a viable plan. Though a bit risky. How do we know Adam doesn't already know of us?" Diamond asked while Pearl watched Kale think it over.
"Adam doesn't care about the middleman. That's my job. And though he knows there are spies, I don't think he was ever concerned with who the spies were. Afterall, he commands the Hounds and could easily kill off anyone he deemed a threat." Kale told them.
He got to his feet, gathering his stationary supplies so he could send a message back to Adam. Opal turned to his brothers while Kale's back was turned. Moving his hands quickly to convey his worry.
What if Kale is feeding us right into a trap? Do you think we could bail the moment we think we got caught? I don't want the Hounds after our heads. Opal signed as his brothers nodded their heads in agreement. The hounds were bad news. The Boars weren't an equal match against them and would likely lose if that battle ever came about. Which hopefully, it wouldn't.
"How do we know we can trust you?" Pearl inquired while the others slowly judged Kale.
"You can't. Just like I have no way of trusting you." Kale admitted offering Pearl a parchment and pen.
"Write your note so we can send it off. I will pen a letter to Adam. I have no means to pay you for this venture, but if you ask Adam for payment he should oblige. After all, if I said he will do it, he will. Because he trusts me." Kale muttered as he wrote. Pearl shrugged, deciding to follow his lead for the moment. His men would discuss it more in detail on the road.
Diamond and Opal worked at preparing themselves for the journey as Emerald inspected the supposed demon. It looked and felt like a block of stone to him. No darkness here. Perhaps Kale had eaten something bad earlier. Though that didn't explain Ruby. She may be ugly, but she was smart for a mutt.
Kale finished his letter first drying the ink carefully, before sealing it with wax. He pulled his necklace out of his shirt collar, pressing its insignia into the warm wax. His mark would prove to Adam it was from him and unread. Pearl rolled up his letter, trading Kale.
"I guess we better head out now that our job here was done. Good luck lad and may we meet again under better circumstances." Pearl told him with a bow of his head. They loaded up and left, disappearing into the dark. Pearl hoped Kale would be fine on his own as the little fire faded from sight. They had a lot of ground to cover and very little time.
Kale stood with the fire to his back, removing the leather glove from his arm. The hawk blended with the stars as it sailed high into the sky, aiming towards the tall stone walls of Salvino. Home. Kale simply grunted taking a seat by the fire.
Adam would never forgive him for his betrayal if he found out. He only hoped Adam would convert to the good side before he had to betray him. He reread the letter pausing when he thought of Ivy. He smiled to himself as he thought of the wild princess of Trayson.
She was so beautiful. But she was also naive to believe Adam loved her. He would never truly love anyone again. Kale decided not to think about Adam as he instead thought about his future bride. Adam had made sure they would never meet, except he failed to realize Kale would run into her eventually.
The princess had taken a wrong turn and ended up in the library looking for Adam. Kale had been intrigued by the shy princess then, keeping tabs on her occasionally when she visited the castle. Adam probably knew Kale was interested in her which is why he kept assigning mundane tasks when she visited the dwarven kingdom. Kale hadn't seen her in almost a year, but he was sure she was just as gorgeous.
Kale paused reading the letter once more, feeling a rising giddiness. Even though she was marrying Adam, there was no way she could still be in love with him, right? Perhaps this was his chance to intervene. Adam only wanted her crown and wouldn't care about anything else.
She would only be a wife in title and nothing else. Surely there would be nothing wrong with taking Adam's pawn for himself once he had no need of her. Adam was going to pass through Welpion for their honeymoon, on his way to Albitonya. Kale was supposed to get there days before him and leave days before he arrived. What if Kale waited in Welpion with the statue?
He could keep it hidden in the woods and then travel with Adam and Ivy to the old kingdom. Yes! It was perfect! Adam couldn't be that pissed with him sharing a carriage together. That would give him a few weeks to get to know Ivy more. Something he was very eager to do.
Then perhaps, she might choose him over Adam when the time came. Kale smiled like an idiot at the dying remnants of the fire. He had no desire to be king, but he was in love with the princess. She would never truly be his. But it was a beautiful dream. Kale packed his supplies so he would be ready to travel in the morning.
He settled into sleep, letting himself be a fool as he dreamt of waking Soren and using his power to save Ivy. If only dreams could come true.